Vaccine-point.



PATBNTED APR. 26, 1904.-

H. K. MULFORD. VACCINE POINT. APPLICATION IIIQED APR. 16, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented April 26, 190.4:-

PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY K. MULFORD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

VACCINE-POINT.

$IEEOIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,597, dated April 26, 1904.

Application filed April 16, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY K. MULFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Vaccine-Points, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in vaccinating instruments, having for its object the provision of an improved vaccine-point and containing vessel therefor of such a nature that they may be perfectly sterilized and which, moreover, may be put together and sealed in such a manner as to insure that each point and its capsule shall be absolutely aseptic, it being, moreover, maintained for any desired period free from any possible contamination by pathogenic or other bacteria. This object I attain as here: inafter set forth, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved vaccine-point, showing it as inserted in my preferred form of containing-capsule, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the point itself.

In the above drawings, A is a preferably flattened and somewhat elongated capsule of glass, open at one end, and B is an improved Vaccine-point. This latter preferably consists of a flattened glass rod, upon which is formed a point, as shown at b, by any suitable means, preferably by heating it in a blowpipe-fianie and drawing it out to a thin sharp end. The surface of the rod is etched or roughened either by hydrofluoric acid, by a sand-blast, or any other desired method. In assembling these two parts of my improved device a small quantity of vaccine virus is placed in the bottom of the glass capsule A, this capsule having been previously sterilized. The roughened glass rod B is then placed within the capsule, as shown at Fig. 1, and melted paraflin placed, as at G, around the top of the capsule and between its upper edges and the rod B, thus sealing the said rod within the same. The paraffin is preferably applied by means of a camels-hair brush and quickly hardens, so as to exclude the air from the interior of the capsule.

It will be understood that I do not confine Serial N0- 103,173- No model.)

myself solely to the use of paraffin for sealing the glass rod in position, as such sub. stances as sanadrac, shellac,or other gums may also be advantageously employed.

My object in roughening the glass rod is for the purpose of retaining the glycerinized virus in one position within the capsule, for on account of the irregular rough surface of the rod this latter has acomparatively high capillary attraction for the liquid, there being therefore little if any tendency for the virus to change its position from the bottom of the capsule even when this is inverted. The roughened surface is also v of material value in providing means to which the sealing material may hold, such construction having been found to be a decided improvement over the polished or smooth surface usuallyformed on the ivory points previously employed.

It is further to be noted that by the use of glass for the scarifyingpoint I am enabled to perfectly sterilize the same, since it is not in any way attacked by any of the processes of sterilization at present practiced. This cannot be said of the points of ivory, bone, or quill heretofore used, since these being always more or less porous and composed of animal matter cannot be completely sterilized nor treated in a manner similar to that in which mineral substances could be operated upon without injury. 7

It will thus be seen that by my improved device the vaccine virus is contained within a package which may be made absolutely aseptic and one which is, moreover, substantial and so constituted that it cannot in any way deteriorate or be easily injured by transportation or handling.

I claim as my invention- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a vaccine-point having a surface etched so that it will be wet by a liquid, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. As a new article'of manufacture, a scarifying-point composed of a mineral substance having a portion of its surface etched so that it will be wet by a liquid, and a capsule also composed of a mineral substance and open only at one end, for receiving one end of said scarifying-point, with aseptic sealing material between the capsule and the body of the scarifying-point, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a vaccine-point, a shell ofthe character described formed of glass tubing flattened throughout its extent and open at one end only, said shell being hermetically closed at all points save its open end, the outer end and the greater part of the untreated portion of the vaccine-point being inclosed by the shell, with sealing material inserted in the open end of the shell and around the untreated portion of the point, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a vaccine-point, a shell of the character described formed of glass tubing flattened throughout its extent and open at one end only, said shell being hermetically closed at all points save its open end, the outer end and the greater portion of the untreated portion of the vaccine-point being inclosed by the shell, with a sealing material inserted in the open end of the shell and around the untreated portion of the point, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a glass vaccine-point, a shell of the character described formed of glass tubing and open at one end only, said shell being hermetically closed at all points save at its open end, the outer end and the greater part of the untreated portion of the glass vaccinepoint being inclosed by the shell, with a sealing material inserted in the open end of the shell and around the untreated portion of the point, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a vaccine-point, a shell of the character described, of a length slightly less than said point formed of glass tubing flattened throughout its extent and open at one end only, said shell being tapered at its closed end and hermetically closed at all points save its open end, the treated end and the greater part of the untreated portion of the vaccine-point being inclosed by the shell and a sealing material inserted in the open end of the shell and around the untreated portion of the point, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing witnesses.

HARRY K. MULFORD.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM E. BRADLEY, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

